Thursday, December 27, 2007

Sorry I've been so MIA. I guess I've been actually having too much fun with life lately, which is a good thing. I havent felt this calm and relaxed and back to myself in years. It feels amazing. I've been watching insane amounts of Law & Order and falling in love with Vincent Di'Onofrio. I've been going out to parties and walking into rooms dancing(!!!). I've been riding my bike and clipping coupons and cooking up storms. I made a salad with citrus dressing and tempura goat cheese balls and gnocchi (store bought) with gorgonzola sauce (from scratch!) Brandon's family bought me a 12-piece cooking set for the holidays and so, i'm a little too excited about that (thank you !!!!!). I've been living on a budget, but drinking champagne. I went to see Innerpartysystem open for the Bravery and stood up front and danced til I got dizzy and said hi to everyone i used to work with and gave them hugs and demanded that they buy me drinks. I was on this MTV2 show as a "celebrity judge" which made me laugh... but I predicted the winning band, which made me delighted. I went to NJ with IDJ peeps for Milo's Christmas party and was saddened by the lack of mexican items in his house... however, we arrived on his doorstep singing "Feliz Navidad". I went to Leigh's boyfriend's Max's housewarming party and then to Feng-Feng's Happy Ending party with Geo and was whisked to a table and had a bottle of champaign thrown infront of me. We saluted to life but i had to leave early since a "last toke ever" ruined my ability to stand. Last night i went to Joe Mccaffreys and his parents are amazing and decided to share their knowledge of alcohol/cheese/cookie pairings... so i had stilton cheese and primadonna cheese on oatmeal crackers paired up with port wine (which tastes a lot like manishewitz.... the kosher wine i drink on shabbat), and chocolate cookies with whiskey! I also tried espresso vodka for the first time and it's delish.

A lot of fun things have been happening and I need to document them! I need to document them here!

Tomorrow, Ollie Stone from the Oohlas and Ryann from Schoolyard Heroes are both coming to crash at the new ST headquarters (my apartment!). We're gonna have a little bit of a lost weekend, i think, that might last a week.

Today I came home from Brandon's family's place on Long Island and accidently took a full pill of adderoll (i've finally been diagnosed ADD), instead of my normal half pill and did 2 loads of dishes, made balsamic pasta salad, 5 loads of laundry, changed a lightbulb that's 12 feet high, cleaned the kitchen... woooooooooooah. I finally crashed after 2 glasses of champ, a glass of wine, and two beers. I was put in bed and woke up about an hour ago and started cleaning my bathroom.

Now I'm sitting in my livingroom, watching L&O, updating my blog, and waiting for Ollie to land in 1.5 hours. I'M SO EXCITED!

I need to sleep but i can't. ack!

If you've missed the friday night party at the hanger bar that karen and I throw, you've been missing a legitimately fun time. Its a friend-type hang, like orchard bar was, where you lose time, get drunk, have deep conversations in some corner, dance like a bar mitzvah kid, get boozed up, leave with stories.... last week Kele from Bloc Party showed up outta no where to DJ for a bit at like 3am. This week, Ollie from the Oohlas and Ryann from Schoolyard Heroes will be lending their musical tastes.

Sunday, December 16, 2007

Wednesday started off a little different than normal with Brandon leaving for a short UK tour. Additionally, I had a 1pm lunch date with my friend Ron in the garment district and had a terrible idea of attempting to ride my bike there. I hopped on my bike and everything seemed ok... I had my bike on a gear combo that was comfortable and was striding by nicely when suddenly, I became really tired. I trudged down the street getting more and more worn out, but figured that if I just kept with it, at least to the 1/9 subway, that I would've worked out enough to give me a lot of lasting energy for later that evening when I was due to hang out with my friend Baron and his girlfriend. I WAS RIGHT! Oh, and I nearly hit Tina Fey while thinking about how amazing 30 Rock is. Next time I'll fantacize about what a great person Brad Pitt is.

So I go to meet Baron and Gina (his gf) at Cube63 on Clinton St at about 9 but he's running so I sit down and wait for him and start listening to the couple next to me.Guy: "Are you jealous by how comfortable I am."Girl: "No."Guy: "Lemme see your boots. I'm hard now from your colorful socks. Letsget out of here and get stoned."Girl: "I don't want to smoke."Guy: "What?! Then why did I just make that call?!"

It was bizarre, but by the time Nick Snow and Gurj came to meet up with us, and we moved onto our second bottle of sake our conversations turned outrageous. The thing about Baron is that he's your friend most likely to get naked and cover a bar with crisco so he can slide down it (he has), or get naked and start hulahooping in your bedroom while Brian Battjer films him (which has happened). Everyone needs a Baron in their life. I thought the coversations couldn't get any worse than Baron loudly announcing a story about the time he tried to embarass me by thrusting his balls in my face but then Gina started telling an unrepeatable story that ended up basically clearing out the restaurant. It couldn't have been *that* bad since some lady from Lola y Maria gave gurj two coupons to the store.

So we left Cube63 and went back to my house to play guitar hero to kill time before heading out for the night. About 30 min later Baron went running towards the bathroom, but not before projectile vomiting on my wall. I know this sounds dumb, but that was fucking awesome. I had no problem cleaning it up cos it meant that the night was heading in the right direction.

We leave my apt around 12 and head over to Annex for High Voltage where we met up with Vin Galvin. It was fucking packt like sardines in thereso we had a quick drink and went to 205 to see what was going on there. When we arrived the door girl asked if we wanted to get a bottle. Naturally gurj and I said no but Baron was like "yeah, lets get a bottle!" So we got a bottle of Kettle One and sat around drinking. Nick Snow ended up puking in the middle of dancing. An hour later we finished our bottle and went to 2nd on 2nd, but it was closing and Lucky Chengs was too, so we went back to Annex, but Nick and Vin decided to take a piss on the street so we lost them. When we got back to Annex it was still crowded so Baron and Gina loaded me and Gurj into their cab where we headed up to the Waldorf Astoria where they were staying (why not?). Gina popped open a bottle of champagne and an hour later we were doing the cartwheels down the hall.

Here's me and Gina playing Guitar Hero!

Me and Baron and a bottle K1 makes three. At 205

Vince, Gina, Gurj and Nick Snow ... who happens to look very happy just before puking on the floor.

the four of them again.... vinny lurkin.

Me, Baron and Nick met on a message board in 2000/2001. We've been friends ever since and I've had some of the strongest relationships I've had with the people I met on that board.

Right now I'm in a lot of pain. I'm in a lot of pain because I was doing cartwheels with Gurj in the hallway of the Waldorf Astoria at 5am. There was video taken of this event and Gurj tells me that at the end you can hear me say "People over 20 years old should not be doing cartwheels" and a day later I stand by this comment. I can't walk right. I can't stand right. I want to get a cane. I think I might be an old lady. Yesterday afternoon I was riding my bike to a meeting, and got exhausted about 5 blocks from home and I also nearly ran over Tina Fey on Houston and 6th Ave (on my bike) about 5 seconds after thinking about how much I love "30 Rock."

Ladies and Gentlemen, my adventures are back!

I will post an extensive blog tomorrow which will detail exactly how I ended up at the Waldorf doing cartwheels. My friends have been saying they havent seen me so happy with life in TWO YEARS! It's like since friday november 30th (you know, THE date) my smile has been wider, my energy higher, my hunger for life more intense... i'm doing cartwheels in the hallway of a fancy hotel at 5 am for goodness sake! My soul is back. MY FUCKING SOUL IS BACK!

Saturday, December 1, 2007

Thanks everyone for all your kind words and support. It really means a lot to me to hear you all say such nice things about the artists on Stolen Transmission.

Stolen Transmission started IN MY BEDROOM as an indie label putting out hand made cds of bands that me and Rob Stevenson believed in. We werent funded back then, and we were really happy. We did everything because of how much we loved music. Now that I've had my experience with Island/Def Jam, I know how to actually do what's necessary to release an album and develop artists, and I helped set up 9 amazing releases from Permanent ME, the Oohlas, Monty Are I, Bright Light Fever, the Horrors, Schoolyard Heroes, PlayRadioPlay!, Innerpartysystem, and the Photo Atlas. I'm so fucking proud that the label went from me and a bunch of interns sitting in my bedroom smoking and watching degrassi and eating guac i had just made to me sitting in meetings once a week with JayZ and now it'll just go back to being run from my apartment again. We plan on continuing with Stolen Transmission and are really excited to be returning to our indie roots.

I'm also glad to say that the Stolen Transmission party coincedently started at a new venue yesterday (a new beginning all around Check out the photos)! That means no more Angels & Kings, and now we're going to the Hanger Bar (3rd street btw B and C), which is also more aligned with the vibe the party had when the label was run out of my bedroom. This is all very very exciting for me. I havent been this happy or excited in about a year.

So it's business as usual here! we're just working from a different location. we're still working all the bands we released (no bands we were working with had anything unreleased -- cept for innerpartysystem who are still in the studio and will remain there til they're done). We're still doing everything the same as before, for the most part. this is actually an incredibly liberating and exciting thing and i can't explain how happy i am. we're still supporting our bands because we've made a commitment to them and we love them.

Our departure from IDJ had nothing to do with the performance of our artists (we were a label focused on developing artists). Our departure was due to restructuring. On my last day, I gave everyone that gave us a chance a hug and thanked them for an amazing experience. I learned so much being there and was put on a very fast track to learning how to A&R.

Keep your eyes out for handmade singles from stolen transmission in the future! i think we might start that up again. I had so much fun doing those.

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

this will be the last week that we hold stolentransmission at angels & kings. our time there has been amazing, but our friends are kinda... in need of a scummier place to throw down at.

so if you need a nice place to go on friday's -- definitely go to angels and kings. the staff is amazing and sweet -- everyone from the bartenders, the doormen, and the owners (many of whom are good friends of mine).

if you need a place where you're gonna need to wait a long time in a bathroom line cos some excited couple is playing doctor in the bathroom while the person next to you is sneaking a flask to their lips -- then come to THE HANGER BAR next week and welcome stolen transmission and the tarts of pleasure to our new digs.

________________________________________RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - The Saudi judiciary on Tuesday defended a court verdict that sentenced a 19-year-old victim of a gang rape to six months in jail and 200 lashes because she was with an unrelated male when they were attacked.

The Shiite Muslim woman had initially been sentenced to 90 lashes after being convicted of violating Saudi Arabia's rigid Islamic law requiring segregation of the sexes.

But in considering her appeal of the verdict, the Saudi General Court increased the punishment. It also roughly doubled prison sentences for the seven men convicted of raping the woman, Saudi news media said last week.

The reports triggered an international outcry over the Saudis punishing the victim of a terrible crime.

But the Ministry of Justice stood by the verdict Tuesday, saying that "charges were proven" against the woman for having been in a car with a man who was not her relative.

The ministry implied the victim's sentence was increased because she spoke out to the press. "For whoever has an objection on verdicts issued, the system allows an appeal without resorting to the media," said the statement, which was carried on the official Saudi Press Agency.

The attack occurred in 2006. The victim says she was in a car with a male student she used to know trying to retrieve a picture of her. She says two men got into the car and drove them to a secluded area where she was raped by seven men. Her friend also was assaulted.

Justice in Saudi Arabia is administered by a system of religious courts according to the kingdom's strict interpretation of Islamic law.

Judges have wide discretion in punishing criminals, rules of evidence are vague and sometimes no defense lawyer is present. The result, critics say, are sentences left to the whim of judges. A rapist, for instance, could receive anywhere from a light sentence to death.

State Department spokesman Sean McCormack avoided directly criticizing the Saudi judiciary over the case, but said the verdict "causes a fair degree of surprise and astonishment."

"It is within the power of the Saudi government to take a look at the verdict and change it," McCormack said.

Canada's minister for women's issues, Jose Verger, has called the sentence "barbaric."

The New York-based Human Rights Watch said the verdict "not only sends victims of sexual violence the message that they should not press charges, but in effect offers protection and impunity to the perpetrators."________________________________________

I'm horrified by this. I understand that other countries have standards and ideals that are different than ours, and that they their laws are based on different ideals, but i'm completely disgusted by this. What can other countries do to protect the rights of women in this situation? I feel like America should be doing more. I feel like I should be doing more. I applaud the woman for going forward and speaking with the press even though it caused her penalties to be doubled. It took a lot of courage, and hopefully it will open the eyes of everyone else in the world. Its not only the Saudis who are like this -- I was reading an article about Zahara Jolie-Pitt's birth mother in Ethiopia who said she was raped and had to keep that a secret because rape victims are looked down on.

EDIT:a special thanks to Mary-Louise for offering up ways that everyone can help:

Here are a few women's rights orgs who concentrate on women in the world if you're interested in getting involved somehow:

http://www.amnestyusa.org/Womens_Human_Rights/Stop_Violence_

Against_Women_SVAW/page.do?id=1108417&n1=3&n2=39&n3=1101

http://www.unifem.org/UNIFEM is the women’s fund at the United Nations. It provides financial and technical assistance to innovative programmes and strategies to foster women’s empowerment and gender equality.

KIDMAAddress: The University of Haifa, Mount Carmel, Haifa, 31905Israel Contact Person: Claudia Goodich-AvramTel: 972-4-8240318 Fax: 972-4-8249014Email: kidma@psy.haifa.ac.il Website: www.kidma.haifa.ac.il Project for the Advancement of Women in Israel, Haifa, Israel, provides women from all sectors of Israeli society opportunity, information and access to subjects that can help them advance personally, professionally, financially and socially. The Women who come to project KIDMA include among others Jews and Arabs, new immigrants, students, and professionals dealing with women's issues such as sexual harassment. KIDMA is a non profit organization located at The University of Haifa.

Women's Solidarity Association of IranAddress: P.O. Box 13165-117 Tehran, IranTel: 98-21-641-3636Fax: 98-21-640-6840Email: wsa_iran@hotmail.comA women's human rights organization working for the progress of the women of Iran through advocacy and awareness raising on the national and international levels.

Friday, November 2, 2007

A bunch of months ago I did this Grammy's sponsored panel at Pace University where me and a few other peers of mine discussed digital music. There's was this one really young kid who sat in the front and center that asked the best questions. He talked about Bob Dylan and Hip Hop. Everyone on the panel was instantly enamored with him and so after the panel I asked him to intern for me... even though he was clearly really young, I figured that there was something I could learn from this kid or vice versa. Either way, I wanted to take him under my wing cos he was something special. His name was Marcus.

So after a couple of meetings and conversations with his mom (because he was only 14), she decided to let her son intern for us during the summer instead of going to Summer Camp. "He'd kill me if i didnt let him work here," she told me.

In Marcus' first week of working here he met Jay Z. He was so excited he was basically shaking and bowed down to Hova. In his second week he came in and we had this conversation:

"Do you mind if I don't come in on wednesday?""Sure, what are you up to?""I'm going to LA to do a photo shoot on Thursday for Teen Vogue.""Oh awesome! What for?""I did this movie about Bob Dylan and I guess it's doing press now.""Neat. Like on your own or something? For school?""No... it's like a movie someone else did.""Oh cool and you act in it? Who do you play?""Bob Dylan.""Huh?" (Mind you, Marcus is Black)"I play Bob Dylan... like in his Woodie Guthrie stage. A bunch of people play him.""Who else?""Heath Ledger, Cate Blanchette, Christian Bale, Richard Gere...""Oh my God! It's like a real movie? That's awesome."

So... Please be sure to check out I'M NOT THERE on November 21 and preview this trailer for the movie (check out trailer 2 to see Marcus Carl Franklin).CLICK HERE FOR THE TRAILER

About Me

Sarah Lewitinn (born February 3, 1980), also known by her nickname Ultragrrrl, is a music critic, DJ, and blogger. She gained notoriety as an assistant editor at SPIN Magazine.
In 2006, New York magazine named Lewitinn as one of "The Most Influential People in Music", citing that "she has more power than any print music critic".